Utilities a challenge in Quincy Center project

Construction managers are grappling with how old and unwieldy utilities beneath Quincy Center will affect timing and logistics on Merchants Row, the first piece of the $1.6 billion downtown redevelopment project.

Construction managers are grappling with how old and unwieldy utilities beneath Quincy Center will affect timing and logistics on Merchants Row, the first piece of the $1.6 billion downtown redevelopment project.

National Grid has determined a new conduit will have to be installed underneath Chestnut Street to power construction equipment and the new apartment, office and retail buildings that will make up Merchants Row. It was originally thought existing conduits and utility equipment would suffice.

In addition, a preliminary inspection found wires and pipes underground that weren’t on record. This will require a more exhaustive inspection to determine what buildings the equipment feeds and to ensure that neighboring businesses don’t lose power during construction.

“We found things that we weren’t anticipating, and we wanted to make sure we were giving them their due attention,” he said. “That’s the nature of doing underground work in an urban environment.”

The work is getting under way as Beal/Street-Works is ramping up its presence in Quincy. Representatives are in the city three or four days a week, and Street-Works partner Ken Narva gave a presentation on the entire project Wednesday morning to the Quincy Chamber of Commerce.

Merchants Row includes a 15-story apartment tower and office and retail space on the 1400 block of Hancock Street. A two-story parking garage will be constructed beneath the apartments. Construction is expected to start in the spring and be completed by September 2014.

Under an agreement with the city, Beal/Street-Works is performing any needed upgrades to city infrastructure. The city will pay Beal/Street-Works back using revenue from taxes on new buildings and parking garages, but that obligation is capped at $289 million.

“The fact that there’s problems underground there was not a surprise,” said Dennis Harrington, Quincy’s planning and urban redevelopment director. “What the specific problems will be may be surprising.”

Harrington pointed to the conduit needed on Chestnut Street.

“I think there will be more going into Chestnut than was ever expected,” he said. “There’s insufficient electric on Chestnut to lay out the basic needs for construction service and for future service. That surprised me, that they didn’t have sufficient capacity.”

Chrusciel said the project team will be ready to seek bids in the first week of March for underground utility and excavation work.

The buildings that will be demolished for Merchants Row are 17-19 Chestnut St. and 1442-1446 Hancock St. In two weeks, crews will begin hazardous material abatement in the buildings, a process expected to take up to three weeks.

They will then apply for a demolition permit from the city, demolish the buildings, and begin building foundations. The foundations will include slurry walls to keep ground water at bay during construction.